• Backpack to carry all their items (Label all camper items) 
• Bathing Suit and Towel
• Healthy Lunch
• Reusable water bottle
• Sunscreen and Bug Spray
• Complete change of clothes in a Ziplock bag for children under eight in case of accidents
• Any medications you have paperwork for 
• Closed toe shoes must be worn except while swimming

• Electronics - campers will have all electronics confiscated and returned to the parents upon pick up. 
• Anything that can be considered a weapon
• Any valuables
• Juuls or other E-cigarettes - all YMCA camps are smoke and vape free areas. 

• Camps run an intensive 40 hours or more of Staff orientation before the campers arrive. We cover the basics of our: camp philosophy, behavior management, lesson plans, water safety, climbing safety, and day camp life. However, most importantly we spend time doing the activities that campers will spend their summer taking part in. Counselors learn different adaptations to games like Capture the Flag, Four–Square, and Gods Eyes. In addition, counselors have guest speakers discuss child abuse prevention, emergency action plans, and other integral parts of the camp day.

• Camp staff older than 18 years old are trained in medication administration by a licensed RN, PA, or MD. 
• Inhalers, epi-pen, and additional emergency medications are necessary to ensuring your camper is safe. On the first day of each session parents are responsible for dropping of their medication with the following items:
  • Original prescription box with current label
  • Medication that has not expired
  • Medical Authorization form signed by the campers physician and parent
  • Care Plan signed by the campers physician and parent. 
• If you have any further questions regarding camper medication and forms; please reach out to your camp leadership. 

• Yes, the State of Connecticut requires a physical examination complete with parent signatures. That form can be found on our website. Physical exams are valid for 3 years from the date of the last exam. However, if there are any pertinent medical conditions that happened during the year, please reach out to the camp staff. A copy of the health form can be found on our website. 

• LOTS OF THINGS! First of all, a misty or lightly rainy day will not stop us from following our normal schedule (so send your child with a light rain jacket). If it is a steady downpour, we resort to our vast arsenal of indoor activities, including portable teamwork activities, character values lessons, skits, songs, group games, portable sports activities and much more. 

• Our camp days are filled with a variety of hands-on activities based around each camp’s theme. These activities are designed to be fun and exciting while helping campers to develop skills and positive habits in scientific and critical thinking. Actual schedules may vary, based on weather, preferences of camp groups, and other factors. We design our curricula to include structured activities, and unstructured free-play, taking advantage of both indoor and outdoor spaces to accommodate different learning styles and energy levels.

The YMCA follows the State of Connecticut guidelines for camper to counselor ratio. 

• 1 counselor to 9 campers: Campers 6 years old and under
• 1 counselor to 12 campers: Campers 7 years old and over

• Yes, the YMCA provides financial assistance and will assist you in applying for Care4kids. 

• Deposits are nonrefundable, and only transferable for the current camp year. Refunds will not be given for cancellations within 4 weeks of a session starting. Upon written request, paid fees may be transferred to another camp week if space is available.

• Registration is completed on the ghymca.org website. The system will walk you through filling out and submitting the registration. The registration and deposits must be submitted at the time of registration. 

• Yes, you and the other authorized pick ups would need to show an ID during pick up. As the summer goes on, the camp team will begin to remember you and may you sign you out without one. However, always make sure you bring an ID! 

• Yes, as long as they are within the same age or grade levels the campers can be grouped together. Please reach out to your camp for more information.